TLC's very busy 'Cake Boss' brings live show to Torrington

Published 6:22 pm, Monday, November 19, 2012

Reality TV star Buddy Valastro - of the TLC "Cake Boss" series - will present a live show "Homemade for the Holidays" at the Warner Theatre in Torrington on Sunday, Nov. 25.

Reality TV star Buddy Valastro - of the TLC "Cake Boss" series - will present a live show "Homemade for the Holidays" at the Warner Theatre in Torrington on Sunday, Nov. 25.

Photo: Contributed Photo

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The TLC reality series "Cake Boss" featuring Hoboken, N.J. baker Buddy Valastro returns for its sixth season Nov. 26. On the night before, Sunday, Nov. 25, Valastro will be bringing his live holiday show to the Warner Theatre in Torrington. less

The TLC reality series "Cake Boss" featuring Hoboken, N.J. baker Buddy Valastro returns for its sixth season Nov. 26. On the night before, Sunday, Nov. 25, Valastro will be bringing his live holiday show to the ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is bringing a live holiday show to the Warner Theatre in Torrington on Sunday, Nov. 25.

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is bringing a live holiday show to the Warner Theatre in Torrington on Sunday, Nov. 25.

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Contests and other types of audience participation will be part of "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro's live holiday show Sunday, Nov. 25 at Torrington's Warner Theatre,

Contests and other types of audience participation will be part of "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro's live holiday show Sunday, Nov. 25 at Torrington's Warner Theatre,

Photo: Contributed Photo

TLC's very busy 'Cake Boss' brings live show to Torrington

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Hoboken, N.J.'s Buddy Valastro is one of the busiest people in the world of reality television.

For starters, there's a new batch of "Cake Boss" episodes about to start on the TLC cable network, then another season of the spin-off show "Next Great Baker" in the works, and two new businesses about to open.

But, that's not stopping him from doing a special holiday stage show at Torrington's Warner Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 25.

Billed as "Homemade for the Holidays," the night will include holiday stories revolving around the family business, Carlo's Bake Shop, in Hoboken, as well as a demonstration of the culinary artistry that has made Valastro famous throughout the United States and in the 187 foreign countries that air "Cake Boss."

Valastro will share behind-the-scenes stories about the TV series, answer questions from the audience and involve the crowd in a few on-stage competitions.

"It's something I've been doing for the past three years, my live theater show -- I've done more than 100 of them, but this is a new show," Valastro said during a recent interview.

"You can bring the whole family, from a 4-year-old to your grandmother. It's good clean fun, with a lot of holiday music," he added.

Like everyone else, Valastro was seriously impacted by Superstorm Sandy, but he considers himself a lot luckier than many of his New Jersey neighbors.

"We had no power for seven or eight days, but thank God there was no water damage -- knock on wood. A lot of people were humbled. It was a crazy time," he said.

The storm came in the middle of a major expansion for Valastro's business, with new bakeries opening next month in the Port Authority terminal on 42nd Street in Manhattan, as well as in Bridgeport, N.J.

"I have Connecticut on my hit list, too," the baker said, laughing, of his serious interest in establishing a foothold in the Nutmeg State.

The exposure involved with being part of a reality show is flagrant, but Valastro has no regrets about the decision he made four years ago to open the doors of Carlo's Bake Shop to TLC.

"It's definitely been a big blessing. The focus on my business has been awesome," he said.

Indeed, just as the Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village grew tremendously after being a part of the HBO "Sex and the City" series, "Cake Boss" has made Valastro's shop into a major New Jersey tourist attraction.

When I asked about the loss of privacy involved with any reality show, Valastro said, "There was a little bit of that on the family and home side, but my life is an open book.

"It sounded like a great idea (right from the start), and it's fun to be on in 180 countries all over the world," he said.

The new season of "Cake Boss" will explore the expansion of Valastro's business, as well as "some great cakes that we've got coming up."

The baker has been amazed to see his quiet neighborhood in Hoboken become a bustling tourist district, with the spillover from Carlo's Bake Shop benefiting a lot of Valastro's neighbors.

"I think it's made a lot of people happy in what was a very sleepy neck of the woods," he said.

When asked how big he expects his bakery business to become, Valastro said he is in no rush to expand, so you should not expect to see a "Cake Boss" store in every town anytime soon.

"I don't know at this point," he said of how many stores he would like to have. "I'm taking them one at a time."

Valastro likes the approach that Manhattan restaurateur Danny Meyer has taken with his Shake Shack franchise, which began with one hugely popular outlet in Madison Square Park. Meyer has very caustiously expanded into other towns and cities.

"Slow and steady is my plan," the baker said.

Meanwhile Valastro is enjoying the chance to get out on the road with his live show and to mix it up with the fans of "Cake Boss."

"I'm not exactly sure what kind of competitions we'll have (in Torrington), but I'll be calling people up from the audience to compete for a grand prize. A family relay race. Maybe a potato sack race for some of the divorced dads. There will be a lot of good stuff," he promised.